Pouring ladle for molten metal



Dec. 19, 1922.

K. S. HOWARD. IPOURING LADLE FOR MoLTEN METAL.

FILED JAN. I4. 1922.

Ell'

liters. ltd, i922.

KARL S. HOWARD, F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

POURING LADLE FOR MULTEN METAL.

Application filed January 14,-1922. Serial No. 529,229.

To {LZ'Z whom it may conce/rn.'

Be it known that I, KARL S. HowARD, a citizen vof the -United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pouring Ladles for Molten Metal, of which the following isa full. clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled 1n the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application.

My invention relates particularly to the stopper-slide of a. pouring ladle for molten metal. Ordinarily, the stopper rod is provided with a stopper at its bottom end and is inclosed, for substantially its entire length, by a series of sleeves composed of refractory material which protect it' from contact with the molten metal tapped' into the ladle. These slee-ves are adapted to slide loosely on the rod and are held in contact endwise with each other by their weight.

llifhen the molten metal enters the ladle and comes in contact with the sleeves, the latter begin to expand, and as they are heated in advance of the stopper rod, they expand more rapidly, moving` upward along the rod unless secured at their upper ends against `this expansion in which case they are likely to break and crush. If unse cured when the metal rises in the ladle to a certain level, the sleeves being relatively light, fioat and the oints between them open up which allows the molten metal to flow between the sleeves and burn the stopper rod.

My invention has for its object to hold the sleeves suiiiciently tightly together to prevent them from floating and separating, and at the same time allowing them to eX- pand, when necessary.

lbty invention consists inthe structure hereinafter described and claimed` reference being` had to the accompanying drawing which formsa part of this specification, whereon,

Figure l is a vertical section of a pouring ladle` showing my improved stopper slide and its combined operating mechanism in elevation.

Figure i2 is an elevation of the operating mechanism taken at right angles to Fig- Figure 3 is a horizontal section, on enlarged scale, taken on line 3-3 of Figure l, showing the tension lever forming part of my invention.

Figures 4 and 5 are views corresponding to Figure l, showing modifications of my invention.

'Like letters and numerals of referencedenote like parts in all the figures.

t represents a pouring ladle, broken away, and a vertically arranged slide stopper rod, to the bottom end of which is fixed a stopper c. Surrounding the rod b above stopper c for substantially the entire depth of the ladle a is a series of sleeves d com-1 i ladle a, opposite block by bolts 2. A suit able guidesway il` is formed in the face of bracket g, and in this guide-way 3 a guide plate z, is adapted to slide vertically. Block 7' is pivoted by a\pin 4 to plate /L as seen in F igure 1, whereby block j with arm e is movable about its pivot pin 4; for inclining the stopper rod Within ladle a, as may be required. Block f is held in any desired position by a bolt 5 which is fixed at one end to guide-plate 7L. and 'passes through a slotted opening 6 in the lower depending part 'ot' block f where it is provided with adjusting nuts '5 adapted to bear respectively against the front and rear side of block f as shown.

The vertically adjust-able guide-plate It is held to bracket o by a bolt 7 which is fixed at one end to frame g and passes through a slotted opening 8 in guide-plate if where it is provided with a handLnut 9 for bearing against and clamping guideplate /1y to bracketg in any desired vertical position.

A horizontal lever i between arm e and the top of the ladle a; is pivoted to the underside of arm e by a pin l() to move about its pivot in a vertical plane. The lever z' has its inner arm l1 preferably forked at the end to straddle stopper rod b and bears downward on a washer l2 which is slidable on the rod 7) above the topmost sleeve d. The outer arm 13 or' lever z' has a socket la in its underside which seats a coiled spring it lug 16 projects Yi'roni arm e above. 'hrough spring 15 and the closed end of socket 14: passes a vertically arranged bolt 17 having its head 1? bearing upward against the bottoni end of spring 15, and its tree end portion passing through lug 16 and provided with a wing-nut 18 which bears aga-inst the upper surface of lug 1G as shown.

By this construction, when spring 15 is compressed against the closed end of the socket 141-, an upward pressure on outer arm 18 of lever e', and a corresponding downward pressure on arm 11 is produced,which causes the `forked end of the latter to press on the topmost sleeves d on stopper rod b, whereby' the sleeves l are prevented from separating and floating, hut although held closely together, are allowed by the yielding of the spring 15 to expand when subjected to the heat of the molten metal entering the ladle a. The pressure imparted to sleeves (l by the forked end ot lever t', to effect this result with safety, Vmay be regulated by ad- Justing the tension of spring 1o hy means of wing-nut 18.

It is here noted that spring 15 is located out-side the ladle at the end of lever t' turthest `trom rod Y) so that the heat ot the molten metal cannot affect the temper ot' the spring.

Ir" desired, l may substitute for lever z' and spring 15, a coiled spring 19 surrounding the rod and located between washer 12 and arm c, as shown in Figure 4t, but this is too close to the molten metal to he satisfactory generally and is likely to he used as an emergency measure only.

In lieu of coiled sprinOl 19, I may use a series of exible cupped discs 2O surrounding rod between washer 12 and arm e, as seen in Figure 5.

I claim:

1. In a ladle stopper, a rod, a plurality of rod enclosing sheathing elements arranged end to end, and yielding means remote from said rod and elements, and connecting mem- .hers whereby said means are adapted to maintain contact of said elements with each other.

2. In a ladle stopper, a rod adapted to be inserted in the ladle, a carrier adapted to hold said rod, sectional sheathing elements protecting said rod from the contents of the ladle, and means mounted on said carrier at a point substantially to one side of the ladle and adapted to yieldingly maintain the eontact of said elements with each other.

3. In a ladle stopper, a carrier adapted to be positioned outside of a. ladle, an arm thereon adapted to extend over the interior of the ladle, a downwardly extending stopper rod on the end of said arm, elements surrounding said rod and contacting with each other, a member engaging the top one of said elements and extending outwardly from the ladle, and yielding means engaging the outwardly extending portion of said 'member and through the latter exerting downward pressure on said elements.

e. In a ladle stopper, a carrier adapted to be positioned outside 'of a ladle, an arm thereon adapted to extend over the interior of the ladle, a downwardly extendingy stopper rod on the end of said arm, elements surrounding said rodand contacting with each other, a lever fulcrumed on said arm hetween its ends with one end engaging'the top one ot' said elements and the other end extending outwardly from the ladle, and yielding means mounted on said carrier and tending to raise the latter mentioned end of said lever:-A

5. In aladle stopper, a rod, sheathing elements movable on said rod and adapted to Contact with each other, and adjustable yielding means remote from said rod and elements tor maintaining said elements in contact with each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature this 7 day of Jan., 1922.

KARL S. HOYVARD. 

